Let's talk MotoGP: Did Marco Bezzecchi deserve his suspension? What you haven't read about it

Yes, Marc Marquez won at Brno. Yes, Ai Ogura had an exceptional weekend. But the image that will be remembered from this Grand Prix is ​​undoubtedly the slap Marco Bezzecchi delivered to that poor track marshal. The internet exploded with reactions to this incident, so now it's my turn to give my opinion: did he deserve such a heavy penalty? Let's find out.

 

Bezzecchi's suspension, deserved?

 

I'm not going to waste a few lines explaining again what happened Saturday afternoon, everyone is awareLet's get straight to the point. Yes, Marco Bezzecchi lost it; he should never have raised a hand to the commissioner.Here and there, I've seen some defend the Italian, claiming the marshal accidentally twisted the throttle on the Aprilia RS-GP, which could have had dramatic mechanical consequences. In reality, "Bez" has no excuse. In motorsport, marshals are always considered untouchable because they are there solely to help, objectively. They should, if you prefer, have the same immunity as firefighters in our society.

 

 

Furthermore, no one should resort to violence. Bezzecchi should not have done anything, even if the marshal had gotten on the RS-GP and tried to catch up with the other helmetless riders. Bezzecchi, at fault, deserved a heavy sanctionHe was suspended for the following day's Grand Prix, which, as far as anyone can remember, had never happened for that reason. To answer the question posed by the title of this article, I believe it was deserved. An exemplary punishment was needed, and it fell on him. Many argue that what happens off the track should be dealt with off the track—basically, that he should have gotten away with a hefty fine. But I don't really agree, because the stewards are an integral part of the sport; it's not as if he had punched a fan, for example. They have a role when the drivers are on the track, and, therefore, theThe sanction should have been for Marco Bezzecchi the athlete, not for the man.That makes sense.

 

Was the meltdown really that serious?

 

Many have tried to compare this incident to other past occurrences. I'm thinking of Aleix Espargaro, who punched Franco Morbidelli in Qatar in 2023, or Fabio Quartararo, who lost his temper with a marshal at Le Mans in 2025. It's completely different. To compare it to the first situation, Bezzecchi attacked someone in his service, not a rival. And besides, Ladislav, the poor marshal, wasn't wearing a helmet for protection. It was much more shocking, unexpected, and excessive than with MorbidelliFurthermore, Fabio was also penalized with reduced track time for his incident last year, but he simply hadn't touched the marshal in question. Therefore, it's not comparable.

At the time, in the gravel trap at Brno, things were very heated. But a posterioriWas it really that serious? While I maintain that the punishment seems proportionate to the madness of the act, I believe we shouldn't try to overanalyze the situation.Many claim, for example, that Bezzecchi showed he didn't have the mentality of a champion, that he lost everything by doing that, and that he would never again earn the fans' respect. If you spend any time on social media, you've probably read things like that too.

I'm calling for calm. Marco Bezzecchi was running on adrenaline, reacted in a split second, messed up, sure, but nobody died. If I were being really cheeky, I'd even say it shows he's humanHe's not the first to have a mental breakdown on a track.And, as a general rule, the public rather likes these frank profiles, which sometimes go too far: Casey Stoner also hit Randy de Puniet in Australia, there is the example of Quartararo (who is also a world champion), it did not take anything away from the legend of Aleix Espargaro, and this kind of slip-up even built, in a sense, that of John Kocinski. As Marc Marquez so aptly put it, they are all very young and continue to learn from life.I believe that Bezzecchi will emerge from this stronger, and without the sanction that I supported, that might not have been possible.

 

 

Could Bezzecchi lose the championship because of this?

 

Many claim that his chances are slim. as if the dynamic had changed sides. There are good arguments to support this theory, it's true. However, I think his diminished chances are more related to his disastrous performance in Brno than to the psychological impact of the beating he received from our good friend Ladislav. More than outbursts of anger, it's the math that should worry Marco Bezzecchi, who was once again outclassed in the sprint before his mistake. All this to say that I don't expect an official Aprilia rider to be less mentally strong just for that reason.But we'll have time to talk about that again after Assen, where I invite you to follow it very closely.

 

Conclusion

 

In my opinion, the penalty was justified and deserved. A simple fine wouldn't have been appropriate and probably wouldn't have taught him the lesson in the same way. Now, at least, I'm almost certain it won't happen again, in any category, and that's a good thing. From a moral standpoint, I don't think it's that serious. – which doesn't mean it should be done. He apologized, and the commissioner himself didn't seem particularly shocked a day later.

It will make a good story to tell in a few years, and I'm sure Bezzecchi, who obviously doesn't seem malicious, will laugh about it at the twilight of his career. MotoGPI'd bet my life that this will be just an anecdote in a few years. exactly like the impromptu boxing match between Nelson Piquet and Eliseo Salazar at HockenheimOn the scale of gravity, this is infinitely less important than the unreliability of KTMs, for example, a subject that must be taken seriously and which we will return to tomorrow.

In your opinion, was the suspension deserved? Tell me in the comments!

As a reminder, this article only reflects the thoughts of its author, and not of the entire editorial team.

 

 

Cover photo: Michelin Motorsport